Air-conditioning apparatus and support system of the same

ABSTRACT

When a user thinks “Is it a malfunction?” and wants to relieve this doubt and worry, the user first pushes a menu button  83   b  on the remote control  80  and further pushes a minus button  83   c  or a plus button  83   a  to set the cursor on the “In a case such as . . . (inquiry menu)”. Here, when the set button  83   e  is pushed, two menu items, namely, “During heating operation . . . ” and “From the outdoor unit . . . ” are displayed. Further, when the set button  83   e  is pushed while the cursor is set to the “During heating operation . . . ”, “The horizontal flaps will be in a horizontal state at the start of operation, during defrosting, and when temperature has become above the set temperature. It is not a malfunction” is displayed on the display unit  82.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an air-conditioning apparatus and asupport system of the same. More particularly, the invention relates toan indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus including a remotecontrol (in the invention, referred to as a “remote control unit”)provided with an interface display and a support system of theair-conditioning apparatus including a highly functional mobile phone(smartphone).

BACKGROUND ART

Hitherto, there has been many cases in which a user wonders, “Is it amalfunction?” when a situation different from normal operation isencountered or when a display not usually seen is displayed on the mainbody during operation of the air-conditioning apparatus. In such cases,the user is unable to immediately judge “whether it is a malfunction orwhether it is not a malfunction and is a normal operating state”. Assuch, the user makes a judgment by reading an “instruction manual” thatexplains how to use the air-conditioning apparatus or by viewing the“website (site on the Internet)”, which is time consuming. Furthermore,it is difficult for the user to immediately check information in a casein which the user has lost the instruction manual or when the user isunable to access the website.

Note that as regards the operation and state that causes the user towonder, “Is it a malfunction?” of the air-conditioning apparatus, thereare cases in which there is actually a malfunction in theair-conditioning apparatus leading to operation stop or abnormaloperation, whereby there are cases in which although the air-conditionerseems to be operating in an abnormal way, it is not a malfunction but anormal operation (state). Further, there is a case in which the user canrepair the malfunction by himself/herself when there is a malfunctionand a case in which the user cannot repair the malfunction.

Accordingly, there has been demand for making the user capable ofunderstanding (judging) “what kind of situation” the present situationis under.

Accordingly, there is disclosed a voice notification device of anair-conditioning apparatus that is capable of notifying information onthe state of the air-conditioning apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as“state information”) including the abnormal state, a self-diagnosisresult, and the operation state of the air-conditioning apparatus bymeans of voice.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application    Publication No. 2000-81242 (pages 9 to 12, FIG. 3)

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, the voice notification device of the air-conditioning apparatusdisclosed in Patent Literature 1 has the following disadvantages:

a. Since state information is notified by voice, the voice may bedrowned out by the surrounding sound or may be mixed with thesurrounding sound causing a case in which the voice is unable toaccurately reach the user in need of the state information, as well asthe voice itself that has been notified becoming a noise to users otherthan the user in need of the state information, thus causing discomfort.

b. When an error check command from the remote control is received whilethere is no error flag stored in the control unit, only a voice stating“No abnormality” will be produced. The user has dispatched the errorcheck command to relieve doubts and worries caused by a situation thatis rarely encountered during daily operation. Although the user willunderstand that there is no abnormality, ultimately, the doubts andworries will not be relieved.

c. The user has dispatched the error check command from the remotecontrol because a situation that is rarely encountered during dailyoperation has occurred; however, the remote control does not allow theuser to designate the content (parts and situation, for example) of thedoubts and worries. Accordingly, the user will be unsure if theabnormality check has been performed to the content that the userintends to know, and confidence towards the voice notification device isundermined.

d. The user is notified by voice when operation modes are switched fromautomatic operation or defrosting operation, or when a cold-air-blastprevention operation is performed during heating operation. Accordingly,frequent notification of the state information becomes disturbing to theear and becomes information of no interest to the user, thus causingdiscomfort.

The invention has been made to overcome the above disadvantages andprovides an air-conditioning apparatus that is capable of notifying theuser of the state information of the air-conditioning apparatus in asimple and prompt manner.

Solution to Problem

An air-conditioning apparatus of the invention includes componentsperforming a refrigeration cycle; a body control unit controlling thecomponents; and a remote control unit being capable of two-waycommunication with the body control unit, in which

the remote control unit includes a display unit that displays apredetermined projected image and a selection means to select theprojected image displayed on the display unit, the projected image isprovided with an inquiry menu to inquire about a state that occurs inlow frequency during steady operation, and

when the inquiry menu is selected by manipulation of the selectionmeans, a projected image explaining a content of the state is displayedsubsequent to the inquiry menu on the display unit by communicationbetween the remote control unit and the body control unit.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The air-conditioning apparatus according to the invention is providedwith the inquiry menu to inquire about the state that has low frequencyof occurrence during steady operation, and when the inquiry menu isselected, the projected image explaining the content of the situation isdisplayed by communication between the remote control unit and the bodycontrol unit; hence a user can be informed on the state of theair-conditioning apparatus surely and conveniently, in particular, theuser can be promptly informed that it is not a malfunction. Accordingly,the air-conditioning apparatus is capable of promptly relieving thedoubts and worries without having the user read the instruction manualor access the website, and enables comfortable use of theair-conditioning apparatus to continue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of anair-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the inventionviewed from the side.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a potion (a filter and afilter cleaning device) of the indoor unit pulled out therefrom.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a potion (the filter and thefilter cleaning device) of the indoor unit pulled out therefrom.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a potion (a filter guidedevice and the filter cleaning device) of the indoor unit pulled outtherefrom.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a potion (the filter guidedevice and the filter cleaning device) of the indoor unit pulled outtherefrom.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a potion (the filter guidedevice) of the indoor unit pulled out therefrom.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a potion (a remote control) of the indoorunit.

FIG. 8 is a front view illustrating an example of a display unit whenthere is a malfunction or inappropriate installation.

FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating an example of the display unit tosolve the inappropriate installation (removing).

FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating an example of the display unit tosolve the inappropriate installation (installing).

FIG. 11 is a front view illustrating a menu displayed on one of thedisplay units (the remote control).

FIG. 12 is a front view illustrating an example of a display in responseto the doubts and worries displayed on the display unit of one of thedisplay units (the remote control).

FIG. 13 is an organized flowchart of the flow of the display of one ofthe display units (the remote control).

FIG. 14 is a front view illustrating an example of the display unit whenthere is a “content that the user wants to know”.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration ofa support system of an air-conditioning apparatus according toEmbodiment 2 of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow of the supportsystem of the air-conditioning apparatus shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the supportsystem of the air-conditioning apparatus shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of the supportsystem of the air-conditioning apparatus shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of an air-conditioning apparatusaccording to Embodiments 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

FIGS. 1 to 7 describe an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatusaccording to Embodiment 1 of the invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectionalview of the whole indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus viewedfrom the side, FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views each illustrating apulled out potion (a filter and a filter cleaning device), FIGS. 4 and 5are perspective views each illustrating a pulled out potion (a filterguide device and the filter cleaning device), FIG. 6 is a perspectiveview illustrating a pulled out potion (the filter guide device), andFIG. 7 is a front view illustrating a portion (a remote control) of theindoor unit. Note that each of the drawings is schematically illustratedand the invention is not limited to the illustrated form of eachdrawing.

(Indoor Unit of Air-Conditioning Apparatus)

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an indoor unit 100 of an air-conditioningapparatus 1000 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “indoor unit”)includes an indoor unit body 10 constituted by a housing, a blower fan20 that is disposed in the indoor unit body 10 and that sucks in air andblows out the suction air (to be exact, conditioned air), a heatexchanger 30 that is disposed in the air passage formed by the blowerfan 20 and that conditions the suction air, and an air filter(hereinafter, referred to as “filter”) 40 that catches dust in thesuction air, a filter advancing and retracting device 50 that advancesand retracts (moves) the filter 40, a filter guide device 60 that turnsover the upper and lower side of the filter 40, and a filter cleaningdevice 70 that removes dust attached to the filter 40.

Note that the air-conditioning apparatus 1000 includes an outdoor unit110, as shown in FIG. 19. Further, a refrigeration cycle is performed bya refrigerant compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a refrigerantexpansion means mounted in the outdoor unit 110; a heat exchanger 30mounted in the indoor unit 100; and a refrigerant circuit 130 thatsequentially connects these components. In order to perform an optimumrefrigeration cycle, an outdoor blower fan is mounted in the outdoorunit 110. Accordingly, “component performing a refrigeration cycle” inthe invention is a general term referring to at least the refrigerantcompressor, the outdoor heat exchanger, the refrigerant expansion means,the heat exchanger 30, the refrigerant circuit, the outdoor blower fan,and the blower fan 20 collectively or individually.

The air-conditioning apparatus 1000 further includes a body control unit120 (shown in FIG. 19) that controls the devices such as the blower fan20 and the heat exchanger 30 and a remote control unit (hereinafter,referred to as a “remote control”) 80 that is capable of two-waycommunication with the body control unit (to be exact, atransmitter-receiver (not shown) connected to the body control unit).The body control unit 120 may be mounted in the indoor unit 110.

Note that the filter 40 refers to a left side filter 40L and a rightside filter 40R that are disposed on the left and right, respectively. Acommon filter advance/retraction driving motor box 51 is disposedbetween the two that advances and retracts the two. Note that theinvention is not limited to the above form, and an independent(separate) filter advance/retraction driving motor box 51 may bedisposed to each filter 40 to advance and retract the filters.Furthermore, the filter 40 is not limited to the left and right pairedfilters.

(Indoor Unit Body)

The indoor unit body is a housing with both sides (not shown) covered,is opened on the top side (upper side in FIG. 1, equivalent to the upperarea of the indoor unit body) in which an opening is formed as an inletport 11 that sucks in air, is partially opened on the bottom side (lowerside in FIG. 1) and is opened on the front side (area on the left sideclose to the bottom side in FIG. 1, equivalent to the lower area of theindoor unit body) in which an opening is formed as an outlet port 12that discharges the air that has been sucked in from the inlet port 11.Additionally, the front side (the left side in FIG. 1) is opened inwhich a design panel 13 that open/close the opening is disposed. Notethat the rear side (the right side in FIG. 1) is covered.

(Blower Fan)

The blower fan 20 is disposed between the inlet port 11 and the outletport 12 of the indoor unit body 10 when viewed from the side andgenerates an air flow from the inlet port 11 to the outlet port 12. Adischarge side air passage 19 between the blower fan 20 and the outletport 12 is a space that is located substantially between an air passagefront plate 14 and an air passage rear plate 15. The discharge side airpassage 19 is disposed with vertical louvers (not shown) that controlthe orientation of the discharged conditioned air in the horizontaldirection. Furthermore, the outlet port 12 is disposed with horizontalflaps 16 and 17 that control the orientation of the dischargedconditioned air in the vertical direction.

Note that the horizontal flaps 16 and 17 are detachable, and when notinstalled in their regular positions, a sensor (not shown) detects thisand transmits the detection signal to the body control unit, which thenissues a command forbidding the startup of the air-conditioningapparatus 1000.

(Heat Exchanger)

The heat exchanger 30 conditions (cool, heat, dry, etc.) suction air andis constituted by a first heat exchanger 31 that is disposed on thelower portion of the front side, a second heat exchanger 32 that isdisposed from the upper portion of the front side to the top side, and athird heat exchanger 33 that is disposed from the top side to the upperportion of the rear side. These heat exchangers are disposed between theinlet port 11 and the blower fan 20 (equivalent to the upstream side ofthe blower fan 20) so as to be disposed around the blower fan 20 in asubstantially lambda (λ) shape or a substantially inverted U-shape whenviewed from the side.

Further, a drain pan 34 and a drain pan 35 that captures the drippingdrain from the first heat exchanger 31 and the third heat exchanger 33,respectively, are provided below each of the respective heat exchangers.

Note that air that has been conditioned is referred to as “conditionedair” in the invention. Furthermore, the form of configuration andarrangement of the heat exchanger 30 is not limited to the formillustrated in the diagram.

(Filter)

The air filter (hereinafter, referred to as a “filter”) 40 is advanced(pulled out) so as to cover the entire inlet port 11 during normalcondition, is positioned between the inlet port 11 of the indoor unitbody 10 and the heat exchanger 30, that is, on the upstream side of theheat exchanger 30 and is moved (winded, for example) so as to retractfrom the inlet port 11 with the filter advancing and retracting device50 during filter cleaning, and in FIG. 1, either one or both of the leftside filter 40L on the left side when viewed from the front side and theright side filter 40R on the right side when viewed from the front sideis illustrated.

Since the left side filter 40L and the right side filter 40R are same inform, when describing contents that are common to the two in thefollowing description, the “left side, right side” in their names andthe suffix “L, R” in their reference signs are omitted. Furthermore, asregards other components that are disposed to the left and right whenviewed from the front, the “left side, right side” in their names andthe suffix “L, R” in their reference signs are also omitted.

Referring to FIG. 2, the filter 40 is provided with a pair of filtersthat are disposed to the left and right of the indoor unit body 10(having therebetween the filter advance/retraction driving motor box 51of the filter advancing and retracting device 50). Further, the filter40 has a substantially rectangular shape in which the length in thefront-back direction (the depth) is longer than that in the left-rightdirection and is constituted by a vent filter (mesh filter) 41 and asubstantially square-blocked filter frame 42 to which the vent filter 41is provided.

A filter driven tooth 43, which have a concave-convex pattern at evenintervals, are formed on one side of the filter frame 42 in parallelportions in the front-back direction. Further, the filter frame 42 isformed of a flexible material and is tabular when formed; however, sinceit is flexible, when it is mounted in the indoor unit 100 of theair-conditioning apparatus, it can be shaped into a substantiallyJ-shaped curve or a rollable substantially spiral-shape, when viewedfrom the side.

(Filter Advancing and Retracting Device)

Referring to FIG. 3, the filter advancing and retracting device 50 isdisposed on the upper front side (a position substantially in the middlein the top-bottom direction or in the upper portion close to the topside) of the indoor unit body 10 and includes a filter driving gear 53that meshes with the filter driven tooth 43 of the filter 40, a filterdrive shaft 52 to which the filter driving gear 53 is fixed, and thefilter advance/retraction driving motor box 51 that houses the drivemotor (not shown) that rotatably drives the filter drive shaft 52.Further, the filter advance/retraction driving motor box 51 is disposedclose to the front side of the indoor unit body 10 substantially in themiddle in the left-right direction.

Furthermore, one end of the filter drive shaft 52 is rotatably supportedby a bearing (not shown) that is provided in the filteradvance/retraction driving motor box 51 and the other end of the filterdrive shaft 52 is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown) that isprovided in the indoor unit body 10.

(Filter Guide Device)

Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, the filter guide device 60 guides the filter40 such that the side of the filter that is on the upstream side of theair passage when the filter 40 is advanced into the air passage becomesthe downstream side when the filter 40 is retracted (guides the filter40 such that the bottom side when advanced becomes the upper side whenretracted).

The filter guide device 60 is a housing with its bottom side opened andis formed by, when viewed from the side, a substantially J-shaped guidetop plate 61 that includes a substantially liner area 61 a and asubstantially arcuate area 61 b; a guide front side plate 62 extendingdownwards from the front edge of the substantially arcuate area 61 b ofthe guide top plate 61; a guide rear side plate 63 extending downwardsfrom the rear edge of the substantially arcuate area 61 b; and a pair ofguide end plates 64 that covers the end portions of the substantiallyarcuate area 61 b and that are disposed in the substantially arcuatearea 61 b, the guide front side plate 62, and the guide rear side plate63.

Further, in each of the pair of guide end plates 64, a surface cleaningbrush bearing 65 that slidably supports (repeats a normal rotation and areverse rotation within a predetermined rotation angle) thecorresponding one of the two ends of a surface cleaning brush rockershaft 73 and a mounting hole 68 in which a mounting protrusion 75 of adust box (equivalent to a dust chamber) 74, which forms the filtercleaning device 70, are provided.

Furthermore, in a position corresponding to the nadir of thesubstantially J-shaped guide top plate 61 when viewed from the side,dust through holes 66 that are penetration grooves with a predeterminedwidth are formed, and scraping protrusions 67 a and 67 b (hereinafter,either one or both may be referred to as “scraping protrusion 67”)having a substantially wavy shape protruding downwards are provided onthe bottom side of the guide tip plate 61 along the side edges of thedust through holes 66 in the longitudinal direction (equivalent to theleft-right direction of the indoor unit body 10) or in parallel to theside edges (with a predetermined distance from the side edges).

Additionally, when the filter advancing and retracting device 60 isdisposed in the indoor unit body 10, the upper side of the guide topplate 61 faces the filter driving gear 53 of filter advancing andretracting device 50 while forming a predetermined gap therebetween.That is, one side of the filter 40 abuts on the guide top plate 61 whilethe filter driven tooth 43 formed on the other side are meshed with thefilter driving gear 53.

Note that the filter 40 is detachable, and when not installed in theregular position with respect to the filter guide device 60, a sensor(not shown) detects this and transmits the detection signal to the bodycontrol unit, which then issues a command forbidding the startup of theair-conditioning apparatus 1000.

(Filter Cleaning Devise)

Referring to FIG. 1, the filter cleaning device 70 includes a surfacecleaning brush 72 that is abuttable to the surface of the filter 40 onthe lower side that has been guided by the filter guide device 60, aback surface cleaning brush 71 that is abuttable to the surface of thefilter 40 on the upper side, and the dust box 74 that stores dust thathas been remove from the filter 40 therein. Note that the back surfacecleaning brush 71 may be omitted.

(Dust Box)

The dust box 74 is a housing with a released upper side and is disposedunder the surface cleaning brush 72 (equivalent to under the guide topplate 61 of the filter guide device 60). The upper end portion of thedust box is arranged in close contact with the guide front side plate62, the guide rear side plate 63, and the pair of guide end plates 64 ofthe filter guide device 60.

Here, since each of the mounting protrusions 75 protruding in theleft-right direction that are provided to the dust box 74 penetratethrough the corresponding mounting hole 68 that is formed in the guideend plate 64, the dust box 74 does not fall off form the filter guidedevice 60.

Accordingly, since the dust box 74 is in a state with a lid thereon withthe substantially arcuate area 61 b of the guide top plate 61 of thefilter guide device 60 and through the guide front side plate 62, theguide rear side plate 63, and the pair of guide end plates 64, dust thathas dropped into the dust box 74 does not scatter to the surroundings.

(Cleaning Brush)

The surface cleaning brush 72 is disposed (embedded) in the surfacecleaning brush rocker shaft 73, and the surface cleaning brush rockershaft 73 is rotatably supported by the surface cleaning brush bearings65 that are disposed under the guide top plate 61 (to be exact, thesubstantially arcuate area 61 b) of the filter guide device 60. Here,the surface cleaning brush 72 is embedded in the surface cleaning brushrocker shaft 73 in the range of substantially 15 degrees in thecircumferential direction; however, the invention is not limited to theabove range and may be, preferably, in the range approximately under 90degrees.

Further, the surface cleaning brush rocker shaft 73 is parallel to thelowermost line of the substantially arcuate area 61 b (to be exact,since dust through holes are formed, the imaginary lowermost line) ofthe guide top plate 61.

Furthermore, the surface cleaning brush rocker shaft 73 is connected toa rocking means (not shown) and is rocked in a predetermined angularrange (90 degrees in the front and back direction with respect to avertical line, for example).

In addition, the back surface cleaning brush 71 is disposed above theguide top plate 61 of the filter guide device 60 and is fixed to theindoor unit box 10 with its end facing downwards.

Accordingly, when the filter 40 slidably advances or retracts in thesubstantially arcuate area 61 b, the end of the surface cleaning brush72 is abutted to one side of the filter 40 while sliding in thefront-back direction and the end of the back surface cleaning brush 71is abutted to the other side of the filter 40 while sliding.

Accordingly, dust captured by the filter 40 is removed with the surfacecleaning brush 72 and the back surface cleaning brush 71 and is droppedinto the dust box 74 through the dust through hole 66.

Further, dust that is still attached to the surface cleaning brush 72 isscraped off by the scraping protrusion 67 and drops into the dust box74.

Note that the dust box 74 are detachable, and when not installed in theregular position, a sensor (not shown) detects this and transmits thedetection signal to the body control unit, which then issues a commandforbidding the startup of the air-conditioning apparatus 1000.

(Remote Control)

Referring to FIG. 7, the remote control 80 is capable of two-waycommunication with the body control unit. The method may be either aninfrared two-way communication or a wireless two-way communication.Further, a triaxial acceleration sensor may be mounted (as for this, itwill be described in detail separately).

The remote control 80 includes an interface display unit (hereinafter,referred to as “display unit”) 82, which displays a predetermined menuor a predetermined image thereon, disposed on the surface of the remotecontrol body 81; a selection button 83 to manipulate the image displayedon the display unit 82; ON/OFF button instructing a start/stop of anoperation; and a mode selection button 85 to select an operation mode.

The display unit 82 is constituted by, for example, a full dot (255*160)liquid crystal display and displays characters and images (still imagesor moving images) described later (anything displayed is collectivelyreferred to as “projected image” in the invention). Note that data ofthe above projected images (characters and images) may be pre-stored ina storage unit in the remote control 80 or may be stored in a storageunit in the body control unit and transmitted to the remote control 80as required.

The selection button (equivalent to the selection means) 83 includes aplus button (also a cursor up button) 83 a, a menu button 83 b, a minusbutton (also a cursor down button) 83 c, and a return button 83 d thatare circularly arranged in substantially equal angular intervals and aset button 8 that is arranged in the middle of the circle. Theapplication method of each button will be described in detailseparately.

The ON/OFF button 84 instructs the start or stop of the operation of theair-conditioning apparatus, and by pushing the button, switching isperformed from OFF to ON or from ON to OFF.

The mode selection button 85 includes a heating selection button 85 a toselect a heating mode, a drying selection button 85 b to select adehumidification mode, and a cooling selection button 85 to select acooling mode.

(Display of Display Unit)

Referring to FIG. 7, when the ON/OFF button is pushed and theair-conditioning apparatus is turned on, a displayed content that hadbeen displayed on the display unit 82 when the air-conditioningapparatus had been turned off previously is displayed. FIG. 7 indicatesthat the air-conditioning apparatus had been stopped during coolingoperation when the set temperature was 27.5 degrees C. and the sethumidity was 50%, and indicates that the operation will be resumed underthe above conditions. Further, if the ON/OFF button is pushed to turnoff the air-conditioning apparatus, the display on the display unit 82will disappear.

However, when there is a failure in a portion of the device (forexample, when a temperature sensor for control is damaged) or when thereis a nonconformance in which a portion of the detachable components arenot installed properly (the horizontal flaps 16 and 17 not installed inexact location and the like), there will be no display of “the operationmode, the set temperature, and the set humidity” as above on the displayunit 82.

Note that although the selection button 83 is provided separately fromthe display unit 82, the invention is not limited to this and theselection button may be provided integrally with the display unit 82 bymeans of a touch panel.

FIGS. 8 to 14 describe the air-conditioning apparatus according toEmbodiment 1 of the invention. FIGS. 8( a) and (b) are front viewsillustrating examples of the display unit when there is a malfunctionand FIG. 8( c) is a front view illustrating an example of the displayunit when there is inappropriate installation. FIG. 9 is a front viewillustrating an example of the display unit (procedures to remove theflaps) to solve the inappropriate installation. FIG. 10 is a front viewillustrating an example of the display unit (procedures to install theflaps) to solve the inappropriate installation. FIG. 11 is a front viewillustrating a menu displayed on one of the display units (the remotecontrol). FIG. 12( a) is a front view illustrating an example of adisplay corresponding to the doubts and worries displayed on the displayunit (the flap is in a horizontal state) of one of the display units(the remote control). FIG. 12( b) a front view illustrating an exampleof a display in response to the doubts and worries displayed on thedisplay unit (water or white smoke is coming out) of one of the displayunits (the remote control). FIG. 13 is an organized flowchart of theflow of the display of one of the display units (the remote control).FIG. 14 is a front view illustrating an example of the display unit whenthere is a “content that the user wants to know”.

Note that each of the drawings is schematically illustrated and theinvention is not limited to the illustrated form of each drawing.

(Indication of Malfunction)

FIG. 8 illustrates examples of the display of the display unit 82 of theremote control 80 based on instructions of the body control unit in acase in which there is a malfunction or a nonconformance in a portion ofthe device before the operation is started, such as when the ON/OFFbutton is pushed and the apparatus is turned on or when the remotecontrol 80 that is mounted with an acceleration sensor is picked up by auser and the acceleration sensor has detected that the remote control 80has been moved, or in a case when a malfunction has occurred during anormal operation.

Referring to FIG. 8( a), “Failure of the temperature sensor for controlPlease call service center” is displayed on the display unit 82. Thatis, since a malfunction that the user cannot deal with has occurred, itis explicitly displayed that “it is a malfunction” and “contact to theservice center is required”.

Here, when the set button 83 d is pushed, “The address, the telephonenumber, fax number, and the like of the service center” is displayed onthe display unit 82 (see FIG. 8( b)). Accordingly, since the user canpromptly deal with the malfunction, it will be possible to promptlyresume the operation.

Note that since there are many types of malfunction, the message ischanged in accordance with the content of the malfunction. Further, inorder to ensure accuracy when the user contacts the service center,along with the message indicating the content of the malfunction, amalfunction code indicating the content of the malfunction may bedisplayed as well. Generally, when the user tries to know the meaning ofthe malfunction code, the user will be referring to an instructionmanual; however, since the content of the malfunction is displayed as amessage on the display unit 82, the user does not have to refer to theinstruction manual. Furthermore, by knowing the malfunction code, aricher content as compared to that displayed on the display unit 82 as amessage can be obtained in the service center.

In addition, when the set button 83 d is pushed, a message and a barcode (hereinafter, referred to as “QR code (registered trademark)”) 89such as “Read QR code below to display content of the malfunction” isdisplayed on the display unit 82 (see FIG. 8( c)). Accordingly, the usercan not only promptly deal with the malfunction but can also understandthe content of the malfunction that has occurred.

That is, since a QR code 89 that stores a URL of the website for mobilephone terminals is displayed on the display unit 82, by having themobile phone read the QR code 89, the content of the malfunction thathas occurred is displayed on the screen (not shown) of the mobile phone.Specifically, detailed information related to the air-conditioningapparatus that states the content in the instruction manual and that onthe website is pre-registered in the above website and the malfunctioncode that corresponds to the content of the malfunction that theair-conditioning apparatus has determined is embedded in the QR code 89.Accordingly, the content of the malfunction that has occurred isselected from the pre-registered information and is displayed on thescreen of the mobile phone.

Note that if the user does not need to know the content of themalfunction that has occurred, then the user may successively push theset button 83 d to re-display the display illustrated in FIG. 8( a).

(Display of Inappropriate Installation)

Referring to FIG. 8( d), “Horizontal flaps are not installed properlyPlease remove and reinstall the flaps” is displayed on the display unit82 when attempting to start the operation. That is, it is informed thatalthough the air-conditioning apparatus is not operable, the situationcan be dealt with by the user.

Here, when the set button 83 d is pushed, procedures to resolve theinappropriate installation (a procedure for removing the flaps (see FIG.9) and a procedure for installing the flaps (see FIG. 10)) aresequentially displayed on the display unit 82 by means of schematicdiagrams and messages.

(Display for Resolving Inappropriate Installation)

Referring to FIG. 9( a), “Push down the small flap at the back” isdisplayed as the first step for removing the flaps.

Referring to FIG. 9( b), a state in which “the safety stoppers aremoved” is displayed as the second step for removing the flaps.

Referring to FIG. 9( c), a state in which “the small flap at the back ispulled out” is displayed as the third step for removing the flaps, andthat the first step to the third step be carried out to the other flapsis displayed.

Referring to FIG. 10( a), a state in which “a flap is inserted” isdisplayed as the first step for installing the flaps.

Referring to FIG. 10( b), a state in which “the safety stoppers aresurely inserted” is displayed as the second step for installing theflaps.

Referring to FIG. 10( c), “a message informing what kind of situationwill occur when the flaps are not installed properly” is displayed alongwith a schematic diagram.

Accordingly, in a case in which the air-conditioning apparatus is notmalfunctioning but is not operable, the user can understand the contentand, further, can promptly and readily deal with the situation, thus itwill be possible to promptly resume the operation.

Note that since there are many types of inoperable situations where itis not a malfunction (for example, the filter 40 or the dust box 74 isnot set in its regular position), the message is changed in accordancewith the content thereof and the display indicating the procedure toresolve the inappropriate installation (for example, an outline forremoving and installing the filter 40 or an outline for removing andinstalling the dust box 74) is also changed.

Note that a “detachable component” in the invention is a general termreferring to a component configured to be installable and detachable bythe user, such as the design panel 13, the horizontal flaps 16 and 17,and the filter 40, as well as the dust box 74 when equipped with afilter cleaning device 70, collectively or individually.

(“Is It a Malfunction?”)

Incidentally, as above, since various operations and states in which theuser wonders, “Is it a malfunction?” are different from those that theuser is usually accustomed to, even if it appears to be an abnormaloperation or state, there are many cases in which it is not amalfunction but a normal operation or situation. Furthermore, much ofthe cases in which the user wonders, “Is it a malfunction?” concentratesto limited operations or states (not malfunctioning). Accordingly, theair-conditioning apparatus 1000 allows displays as below on the displayunit 82 of the remote control 80 to promptly and appropriately relievethe doubts and worries of the user related to the limited operations orstates.

(Menu Display)

Referring to FIG. 11( a), when the user feels “there might be amalfunction”, in order to relieve his/her doubt and worry, the menubutton 83 b in the remote control 80 is pushed. That is, when the menubutton 83 b is pushed during operation (in a state in which the ON/OFFbutton is in an on state), a plurality of menu items (for example, fromfirst item to the sixth item) are displayed on the display unit 82 (seeFIG. 11( a)).

Here, when the minus button 83 c is pushed, the cursor displayed in theuppermost row moves down and when the cursor reaches the lowermost rowand further when the minus button 83 c is pushed, a new menu item (theseventh menu item) is displayed in the lowermost row and the menu itemsthat has been displayed shifts up a row while the menu item that hasbeen displayed in the uppermost row (the first menu item) disappears.

On the other hand, when the plus button 83 a is pushed, in contrast towhen the minus button 83 c was pushed, the cursor moves upwards and anew menu item is displayed in the uppermost row.

Accordingly, by further pushing the menu button 83 b, the menu itemsfrom the third item to the eighth item that has been displayed before isdisplayed (see FIG. 11( b)).

Similarly, each time the minus button 83 c is pushed, the menu item inthe uppermost row disappears and a new menu item is displayed in thelowermost row.

Thus, by pushing the minus button 83 c or the plus button 83 a, thecursor can be moved to the desired menu item (for example, the eighthitem “In such a case as . . . ” corresponds to the “inquiry menu” in theSolution to Problem) (see FIG. 11( b)).

Here, when the set button 83 e is pushed, items of the respective menuitem “In such a case as . . . ” is displayed (see FIG. 11( c)). In the“In such a case as . . . ” display, two menu items, namely, “Duringheating operation . . . ” and “From the outdoor unit . . . ”, aredisplayed while the cursor is set to either one and explain text “thecontent that is to be displayed on the screen next” is displayed.

Note that when the content of the doubt and worry is related to “Duringcooling operation” and “Indoor unit” and when the minus button 83 c ispushed, “From the outdoor unit . . . ” is displayed on the upper row and“During cooling operation . . . ” is displayed on the lower row on thedisplay unit 82 while the cursor is set to the lower row. When the minusbutton 83 c is further pushed, the “During cooling operation . . . ” isdisplayed on the upper row and “From the indoor unit . . . ” isdisplayed on the lower row on the display unit 82 while the cursor isset to the lower row (both of the above is not shown).

Referring to FIG. 11( c), since the cursor is set to the “During heatingoperation . . . ”, “FAQ during heating operation will be displayed” isdisplayed, which explains the content that is to be displayed when theset button 83 e is further pushed.

Referring to FIG. 11( d), the minus button 83 c has been pushed to movethe cursor down from the state of FIG. 11( c). The cursor is set to“From the outdoor unit . . . ”, and “FAQ during related to the outdoorunit will be displayed” is displayed, which explains the content that isto be displayed when the set button 83 e is further pushed.

Referring to FIG. 12( a), a figure and a message that are displayed onthe display unit 82 after the set button 83 e is pushed when the cursoris set to the “During heating operation . . . ” on the display unit 82as shown in FIG. 11( c) is illustrated. That is, in FIG. 12( a),“Horizontal flaps are in a horizontal state” is stated and the state isdepicted in a schematic diagram.

Accordingly, if the point of doubt and worry of the user is the above,the doubt and worry of the user is relieved when the user reads “Thehorizontal flaps will be in a horizontal state at the start ofoperation, during defrosting, and when temperature has become above theset temperature It is not a malfunction” that is jointly stated.

Note that if the horizontal flaps 16 and 17 are not actually in ahorizontal state, since it will be meaningless to display the display inFIG. 12( a), a content “During heating operation” that encounters doubtsand worries the second most number of times, for example, “The filtercleaning machine is under operation because 50 hours has continuouslyelapsed since the heating operation. It is not a malfunction” isalternatively displayed by means of a message and a schematic diagram(not shown).

These displayed contents are preregistered in the indoor unit body 10 orthe remote control 80 in a state in which the order of priority todisplay the content is set. Accordingly, the body control unit displaysthe meaningful content in line with the order of priority. That is, whenthe horizontal flaps 16 and 17 are actually in a horizontal state, thedisplay in FIG. 12( a) is displayed and when the filter advancing andretracting device 50 has been activated, “ . . . filter cleaning machineis under operation . . . It is not a malfunction” is displayed.

On the other hand, if the doubt and worry of the user are not what isdisplayed in FIG. 12( a) that has been displayed in line with the orderof priority, the user further pushes the set button 83 e. Then, thecontent “During heating operation” that encounters doubts and worriesthe next most number of times, for example, “The filter cleaning machineis under operation because 50 hours has continuously elapsed since theheating operation. It is not a malfunction” or the like is displayed bymeans of a message and a schematic diagram (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 12( b), a figure and a message that are displayed onthe display unit 82 after the set button 83 e is pushed when the cursoris set to the “From the outdoor unit . . . ” on the display unit 82 asshown in FIG. 11( d) is illustrated. That is, in FIG. 12( b), “There iswater or white smoke coming out” is stated and the state is depicted ina schematic diagram.

Accordingly, if the point of doubt and worry of the user is the above,the doubt and worry of the user is relieved when the user reads “Waterand steam may come out of the outdoor unit during heating operation Itis not a malfunction” that is jointly stated.

When the user further pushes the plus button 83 a or the minus button 83c, “It is not a malfunction but if the wetting is causing a problem,please consult the service center for drainage work” is displayed. Whenthe user pushes the plus button 83 a or the minus button 83 c again,then “Information (name, telephone number, etc.) of the service center(may include the dealer)” is displayed (not shown).

Note that if it is a situation in which water and steam could notpossibly come out of the outdoor unit (for example, when during heatingoperation and the outdoor humidity is substantially low, or the like),then it will be meaningless to display the display in FIG. 12( b);hence, similar to the above, a content encountering the next most numberof doubts and worries are alternatively displayed.

Further, these displayed contents are preregistered in the indoor unitbody 10 or the remote control 80 in a state in which the order ofpriority to display the content is set.

On the other hand, if the doubt and worry of the user are not what isdisplayed in FIG. 12( b), the user further pushes the set button 83 e.Then, a content encountering the next most number of doubts and worriesare subsequently displayed.

Note that the above operation or state that the user feels doubt andworry does not need to be displayed repeatedly once the user hasunderstood and memorized them. Accordingly, the air-conditioningapparatus 1000 has a function of stopping display of the contents thatdo not have to be displayed anymore.

That is, when the set button 83 e is pushed in the state illustrated inFIG. 12( a), for example, a display “Continue to display this display?”and “Stop displaying this display?” is displayed on the display unit 82.At this time, when the cursor is set to “Stop displaying this display?”by pushing the plus button 83 a or minus button 83 c, and the set button83 e is pushed, from then on, display illustrated in FIG. 12( a) willnot be displayed (both not shown).

FIG. 13 is an organized flowchart of the above flow of the display ofthe display unit 82. That is, in the air-conditioning apparatus 1000,when there is a malfunction or when a malfunction has occurred, withouta particular inquiry by the user, the content of the malfunction isdisplayed (S11) and, further, the contact information and the like forthe repair is displayed (S12). Accordingly, the user can promptlyunderstand the situation and it will be possible to proceed to earlyrepair and replacement. At this time, since the QR code 89 is displayedon the display unit 83, the content of the malfunction can be displayedin further detail on the screen of the mobile phone by reading the QRcode 89 into the mobile phone (S13).

Further, as for the nonconformance such as inappropriate installationthat the user can deal with, the content of the nonconformance isdisplayed (S21) without a particular inquiry by the user and the outlineto resolve the nonconformance (procedure of re-installing, etc.) isdisplayed (S22); hence, the user can understand the situation promptlyand, furthermore, it will be possible to perform early response(re-installing, etc.).

Additionally, when the user wonders, “Is it a malfunction?” uponoccurrence of an operation or state that is different from the ones theuser is usually accustomed to and that is not a malfunction ornonconformance such as inappropriate installation, the user can readilyunderstand the cause by manipulating the button of the remote control80; hence, doubts and worries can be relieved promptly.

At this time, among the doubts and worries that are consulted in whichthe user has wondered “Is it a malfunction?” to the service center, oneswith higher frequency are displayed in descending-order (S32, S42);hence, the user can display the content that the user wants to know bysimple manipulation of the button (S31, S41).

Further, when the doubt and worry in which the user has wondered “Is ita malfunction?” is resolved and when it is determined that it does nothave to be displayed from then on (S33), the display thereof can bestopped (S34).

(Display of Instruction Manual)

As above, the content of the malfunction or the content of theinappropriate installation, the resolving method, or the displayrelieving the doubts and worries toward various operations and statesthat makes the user wonder, “Is it a malfunction” are displayed on thedisplay unit 82 of the remote control 80 in the air-conditioningapparatus 1000.

Further, even if there is no malfunction or the like or any worries, ifthere is a “content that the user wants to know”, the user can readilyobtain the contents stated in the “instruction manual” or the “website(site on the Internet)”. Accordingly, when the user has lost theinstruction manual or when is unable to access the website, the user canimmediately check the content that he/her wants to know and as such,convenience is improved.

Referring to FIG. 14( a), the menu button 83 b of the remote control 80is pushed when there is a “content the user wants to know”. That is,when the menu button 83 b is pushed during operation (in a state inwhich the ON/OFF button is in an on state), a plurality of menu items(for example, from first item to the sixth item) are displayed on thedisplay unit 82 (equivalent to FIG. 11( a)). At this time, the cursorcan be set to the “? Instruction manual” that is the desired menu itemby pushing the minus button 83 c or the plus button 83 a (see FIG. 4(b)).

Here, when the set button 83 e is pushed, the item of the respectivemenu item “Read the subsequent QR code to display content of theinstruction manual” is displayed. When the set button 83 e is furtherpushed, a QR code 88 that stores a URL of the website for mobile phoneterminals is displayed on the display unit 82 (see FIG. 14( d)).

Accordingly, by having the mobile phone (not shown) read the QR code 88,the content stated in the instruction manual is displayed on the screenof the mobile phone. That is, detailed information related to theair-conditioning apparatus that is stated in the instruction manual andthe website is pre-registered in the above website.

The display “Read the subsequent QR code . . . (see FIG. 14( c))” andthe display “QR code 88 (see FIG. 14( d))” may be displayed at the sametime integrally on the display unit 82 (see FIG. 8( c)). Furthermore,although the QR code 88 corresponding to the entire instruction manualis displayed, the invention is not limited to this; the user may selecta segmented portion of the instruction manual (for example, “Knowing thefunctions”, “Keeping the apparatus clean”, or “Trouble shooting”, etc.)and a QR code corresponding to the selected portion may be displayed.

Embodiment 2

FIGS. 15 to 18 are for explaining the support system of theair-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the invention,FIG. 15 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configurationof the system, and FIGS. 16 to 18 are flowcharts illustrating theoperation flow. Note that like parts or equivalent parts to Embodiment 1are designated with like reference numerals and a portion of thedescription is omitted.

(Indoor Unit of Air-Conditioning Apparatus)

Referring to FIG. 15, the air-conditioning apparatus support system(hereinafter, referred to as “support system”) 2000 includes an indoorunit 100 disposed in a room of a user U, a highly functional mobilephone (hereinafter, referred to as “smartphone”) 200 that the user Uuses, the Internet 300 connected by wireless to the smartphone 200, aterminal (a personal computer, hereinafter, referred to as “center PC”)400 that is disposed in the service center and is connected (by wirelessor wire) to the Internet, and a server 500 that is connected to theterminal 400 directly or through the Internet 300. Note that in order tosimplify the description, the center PC 400 and the server 500 may becollectively referred to as center PC 400.

Further, a local service center or dealer (hereinafter, “local servicespot”) 600 is connected (by wireless or wire) to the Internet.

As an application for the smartphone (hereinafter, referred to as“smartphone application”), a smartphone application dedicated forsupport of the air-conditioning apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as“support application”) 210 is downloaded to the smartphone 200. Thesmartphone 200 is equipped with a screen 201 and a camera 202.

Note that the support application 210 is a program that allows therelevant control means (CPU and the like) to execute predetermined stepsand is one that is downloaded from the server or the like that storesthe program; however, instead of downloading, the program may bepre-stored in the smartphone itself.

In the air-conditioning apparatus 1000 described in Embodiment 1,convenience is improved by using the remote control 80; however, whenthe user U tries to communicate with the service center, the user isrequired to manipulate the mobile phone on the basis of the displayedinformation on the remote control 80.

Whereas, in the support system 2000 of Embodiment 2, the convenience ofuse of the air-conditioning apparatus 1000 is improved with the use ofthe smartphone 200 (and the support application 210) withoutmanipulation of the remote control 80.

(Support Application)

Referring to FIG. 16, operation of the support application 210 and workassociated with the operation will be described. When the user U startsup the support application 210 (S51), a display displaying that thesupport application 210 is “an air-conditioning apparatus supportsystem” and “Please take a photograph of the body of theair-conditioner” is displayed on the screen 201 (S52).

Accordingly, the user U takes a photograph of the indoor unit 100 withthe camera 202 equipped in the smartphone 200 (S53). The photographedimage (hereinafter, referred to as “taken image”) is sent to the centerPC 400 via the Internet 300 (S54).

The center PC 400 analyses the taken image, compares it with the dataregistered in the server 500, determines the model type of the indoorunit 100 (and the air-conditioning apparatus 1000), and transmits themodel type information to the smartphone 200 (S55).

The smartphone displays the “model type information” on the screen 201as well as displaying the “select menu” on the screen 201 (S56) to askthe user U the object of the startup of the support application 210. Theselect menu is “Read the instruction manual” and “The air-conditioner isfunctioning strangely”, for example (S57).

Here, when the “Read the instruction manual” is selected, “Table ofcontents” and “Selective keyword” are displayed (S61).

Hereupon, when the User U selects the “Table of contents” (S62), therelevant selected information is transmitted from the center PC 400 (orthe server 500) and the table of contents of the instruction manual issent back to the smartphone 200 (S63).

Further, upon display of the table of contents on the screen 201 (S64),the user U selects a certain item in the table of contents (for example,“set timer” or the like) (S65) and information of the relevant item istransmitted to the center PC 400. The content corresponding to therelevant item in the data of the instruction manual that is stored inthe server 500 is sent back to the smartphone 200 (S66).

Then, the content of the certain item (for example, “Outline of settingthe timer” or the like) is displayed on the screen 201 in the form ofstill images or moving images (S67).

Further, by pushing the “End” button displayed in a corner of the screen(that is displaying the still images or moving images) (S68), thesmartphone application 210 is ended (S69).

On the other hand, when the “Selective keyword” is selected in (S61)where the “Table of contents” and “Selective keyword” are displayed,since a text box to input the “Selective keyword” is displayed on thescreen 201, the user U inputs a certain selective keyword (for example,“Before waking up” or the like) (S71). The relevant input information istransmitted to the center PC 400, the center PC 400 determines the item(for example, “timer setting” or the like) in the data of theinstruction manual corresponding to the relative selected keyword, therelevant item information is transmitted to the server 500 (S72), andthe content corresponding to the relevant item in the data of theinstruction manual that is stored in the server 500 is sent back to thesmartphone 200 (S73).

Then, the content of the relevant item (for example, “Outline of settingthe timer” or the like) is displayed on the screen 201 in the form ofstill images or moving images (S74).

Further, by pushing the “End” button displayed in a corner of the screen(in which the screen is displaying the still images or moving images)(S68), the smartphone application 210 is ended (S69).

Furthermore, when “Air-conditioner is functioning strangely” is selectedin (S56), “Please take a video of the air-conditioner” is displayed onthe screen 201 (S81).

Further, the video of the air-conditioner is transmitted to the centerPC 400 and the relevant video is displayed on a display panel 401 of thecenter PC 400 (S82).

Then, a staff S (who has already been informed of the model type of theindoor unit 100) that is standing by in the support center determinesthe state of the air-conditioner on the basis of the relevant video,namely, whether “in a state that can be left alone”, “in a state inwhich the user U can deal with” or “in a state in which the user Ucannot deal with” (S83), and the determined result is sent back to thesmart phone 200 (S84).

When it is determined to be “in a state that can be left alone”, then,“Do not worry, this phenomenon will stop soon”, for example, isdisplayed on the screen 201 (S85), thus the user U can feel relieved.

Further, when it is determined to be “in a state in which the user U candeal with”, then “This Phenomenon will stop with simple manipulation.Display the manipulation guidance?”, for example, is displayed on thescreen 201 (S91). When the user U selects “Display” (S92), the relevantselected information is transmitted to the center PC 400 (S93), theguidance of the relevant manipulation that is stored in the server 500is sent back to the smartphone 200, and a video showing the guidance ofthe relevant manipulation is displayed on the screen 201 (S94).

Accordingly, the user U can watch the video (or multiple still images)displayed on the screen 201 and perform a certain manipulation, thus canrecover the state of the air-conditioner to its regular state.

Furthermore, when it is determined to be “in a state in which the user Ucannot deal with” in (S83) or when the user U does not select “Display”in (S92), “Service by a specialist is required”, for example, isdisplayed on the screen 201 (S101).

At this time, when the user U selects “Request service” (S102), therequest is transmitted to the center PC 400 (S103), the center PC 400selects the appropriate (nearest) local service spot 600 while referringto the positional information of the smartphone 200, and information(name, location on the map, and the like) of the relevant local servicespot 600 is sent back to the smartphone 200 (S104). Moreover, the modeltype of the air-conditioning apparatus 1000, information on the status,and information on the user U is notified to the relevant local servicespot 600 (S105).

Note that when the user U selects “Service not requested” in (S102), thesmartphone application 210 is ended (S69).

Accordingly, with the support system 2000, the user U can read thecontent of the instruction manual, especially the content that the userwants to know the most with simple manipulation and further in the formof video without manipulation of the remote control 80. Furthermore, theuser can be informed of a proper way to respond when the air-conditioneris malfunctioning. At this time, since a specialist S views the videoand the diagnosis of the state of the air-conditioner is performed, amore precise judgment can be made.

1. An air-conditioning apparatus, comprising: components performing arefrigeration cycle; a body control unit controlling the components; anda remote control unit being capable of two-way communication with thebody control unit, wherein the remote control unit includes a displayunit that displays a predetermined projected image and selection meansto select the projected image displayed on the display unit, theprojected image is provided with an inquiry menu to inquire about astate that occurs in low frequency during steady operation, and when theinquiry menu is selected by manipulation of the selection means, theprojected image explaining a content of the state is displayedsubsequent to the inquiry menu on the display unit by communicationbetween the remote control unit and the body control unit.
 2. Anair-conditioning apparatus, comprising: components performing arefrigeration cycle; a body control unit controlling the components; anda remote control unit being capable of two-way communication with thebody control unit, wherein the remote control unit includes a displayunit that displays a predetermined projected image and includes anON/OFF button, instructing the start or stop of an operation, or anacceleration sensor, when there is a malfunction or a nonconformance ina portion of the components before a start of operation, upon pushing ofthe ON/OFF button or upon detection of movement of the remote controlunit by the acceleration sensor, the projected image explaining acontent of the malfunction or the nonconformance is displayed on thedisplay unit by a command of the body control unit.
 3. Theair-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the inquiry menu isselected, the projected image explaining the state that occurs in lowfrequency during steady operation is displayed in a pre-registered orderon the display unit.
 4. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1,wherein a content of a specified state among the state that occurs inlow frequency during steady operation is allowed not to be displayed onthe display unit.
 5. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, whereinwhen either one of the components is determined to be inoperable, thebody control unit displays a name or a schematic diagram of thecomponent determined to be inoperable and displays a reason of theinoperability.
 6. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5, whereinwhen a switching button is pushed while the display unit is in a statedisplaying the name or the schematic diagram of the component determinedto be inoperable and the reason of the inoperability, a guidance toresolve the inoperability is displayed on the display unit.
 7. Theair-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a detachablecomponent that is detachably installed in an indoor unit being one ofthe components, wherein when the detachable component is determined tobe not installed in a regular position, a name or a schematic diagram ofthe detachable component that is not installed in the regular positionis displayed on the display unit.
 8. The air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein when a switching button is pushed while the displayunit is in a state displaying the name or the schematic diagram of thedetachable component that is not installed in the regular position, aguidance to re-install the detachable component to the regular positionis displayed on the display unit.
 9. A support system of anair-conditioning apparatus that supports the air-conditioning apparatusthrough a highly functional mobile phone and a terminal connected to theInternet, wherein the terminal displays on an equipped screen aprojected image of the air-conditioning apparatus that has been taken bya camera installed in the highly functional mobile phone, and that hasbeen transmitted through the Internet from the highly functional mobilephone; and transmits a content of a state of the air-conditioningapparatus and an outline of dealing with the content, based on theprojected image displayed on the screen, to the highly functional mobilephone through the Internet, and the highly functional mobile phonedisplays the content of the state of the air-conditioning apparatus andthe outline of dealing with the content that has been transmitted fromthe terminal through the Internet on a screen of the highly functionalmobile phone.
 10. The support system of the air-conditioning apparatusof claim 9, wherein the highly functional mobile phone includes anapplication that carries out a step of displaying a display on thescreen of the highly functional mobile phone encouraging a user to takean image of the air-conditioning apparatus with the camera equipped inthe highly functional mobile phone, a step of transmitting the projectedimage of the air-conditioning apparatus that has been taken with thecamera to the terminal through the Internet, a step of displaying theprojected image of the air-conditioning apparatus that has beentransmitted to the terminal on the screen equipped in the terminal, astep of transmitting the content of the state of the air-conditioningapparatus and the outline of dealing with the content based on theprojected image displayed on the screen of the terminal to the highlyfunctional mobile phone through the Internet, and a step of displayingon the screen of the highly functional mobile phone the content of thestate of the air-conditioning apparatus and the outline of dealing withthe content that has been transmitted from the terminal through theInternet.
 11. The support system of the air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 9, wherein the projected image is a video.
 12. Theair-conditioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein when an inquiry menu isselected, the projected image explaining a state that occurs in lowfrequency during steady operation is displayed in a pre-registered orderon the display unit.
 13. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2,wherein a content of a specified state among a state that occurs in lowfrequency during steady operation is allowed not to be displayed on thedisplay unit.
 14. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2, whereinwhen either one of the components is determined to be inoperable, thebody control unit displays a name or a schematic diagram of thecomponent determined to be inoperable and displays a reason of theinoperability.
 15. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 14, whereinwhen a switching button is pushed while the display unit is in a statedisplaying the name or the schematic diagram of the component determinedto be inoperable and the reason of the inoperability, a guidance toresolve the inoperability is displayed on the display unit.
 16. Theair-conditioning apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a detachablecomponent that is detachably installed in an indoor unit being one ofthe components, wherein when the detachable component is determined tobe not installed in a regular position, a name or a schematic diagram ofthe detachable component that is not installed in the regular positionis displayed on the display unit.
 17. The air-conditioning apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein when a switching button is pushed while the displayunit is in a state displaying the name or the schematic diagram of thedetachable component that is not installed in a regular position, aguidance to re-install the detachable component to the regular positionis displayed on the display unit.